The SAIMM is a professional institute with local and international links aimed at assisting members source information about technological developments in the mining, metallurgical and related sectors.

Almost too close for comfort - conference delegates admiring the scale of blast furnace tapping at ArcelorMittal South Africa Vanderbijlpark Works (photograph by Maryke Pelser)

Furnace Tapping 2014 was the first event of its kind, focusing on the challenges associated with the tapping of furnaces and ways in which these challenges are currently addressed. The conference was inspired by an in-house event arranged by Dr Lloyd Nelson – then employed by Hatch Africa – in 2003, and the need for peer-reviewed papers published in the open literature. This was identified when I conducting a literature survey for my PhD studies, which focused on enhancing the taphole design for silicomanganese furnaces.

The event was hosted by the SAIMM, at Misty Hills, on 27–28 May 2014. It consisted of two days of presentations — produced as proceedings of peer reviewed papers—and a one day post-conference tour.

As first keynote speaker, Dr Lloyd Nelson (Anglo Platinum, South Africa), delivered a thoroughly researched review of the literature available on the design, operation, and maintenance of furnace tap-holes in ironmaking, ferroalloys, and base metals. Dr Nelson illustrated the extent of the work that has been done in blast furnace ironmaking to progress towards an understanding of the factors influencing tap-hole life, and highlighted the need for cross-commodity benchmarking of tapping practices and tap-hole management systems, to seek further incremental improvements in safety and performance.

Dr Nic Barcza (Mintek, South Africa) in his keynote address focused on process-related aspects influencing taphole life and furnace tapping in general. Using a number of examples, Dr Barcza explained why feed material characteristics and control, smelting conditions – in particular operating temperature, and slag and metal or matte compositions upon tapping created problems in tapping of furnaces. He emphasized the detrimental effect of excessive superheat when tapping either slag or metal/matte.

The third keynote address was delivered by Ragnhild Jensen (Elkem, Norway), representing Dr Halvard Tveit, and focused on the improvements made in the tapping of silicon through research sponsored by the Norwegian Ferroalloy Producers Research Association (FFF).

‘Liquid magic’ - metal and slag being tappedat Transalloys. The photograph was used on the cover of the printed proceedings for Furnace Tapping 2014 (photograph by Joalet Steenkamp)

A. Dienenthal related the history of the development of tapping equipment and tap-hole closure technologies (TMT Tapping Measuring Technology) and S.C. Essack explained how a slag tap-hole could be closed using a slag flow valve (Tenova Pyromet).

Tap-hole repair technologies were addressed by P. O'Shaughnessy, H. van der Merwe, and S. Botes, who explained how the UCAR®V repair solution could be used to repair tap-holes (Graftech), and L.H. Lindstad, who described the maintenance and larger repairs of tap-holes and tapping spouts (Elkem Carbon).

The SAIMM takes pride in announcing that it will be hosting a follow-up conference, Furnace Tapping 2018, in South Africa in May 2018. To maintain the high standard of technical papers in the proceedings of Furnace Tapping 2014, the SAIMM envisages for Furnace Tapping 2018 further documentation of tapping practices by existing operators, as well as reviews of current operations and descriptive case studies in which technologies available for tap-hole design, monitoring, closure, and maintenance were applied. Furthermore, the SAIMM would like to include papers with strong contributions from research institutions (focusing on the application of CFD modelling with associated assumptions, including properties of materials and validation of these models; studies on taphole clay; studies on refractory interaction with slag/metal/matte specifically under the tap-hole conditions); as well as papers addressing health and safety aspects related to the tapping of furnaces.